4 ms·

Raspberry Pi makes the sub-$100 PC a reality

25 points by ukdm 15y ago

Malic 15y ago
Funny. I thought that happened in 1981 - thirty years ago: http://oldcomputers.net/zx81.html http://oldcomputers.net/zx81.html Ok, ok, the Raspberry Pi could kick a room full of ZX81's around the block - it IS an impressive little board. My point is that the Raspberry Pi is a sub-$100 computer isn't the impressive part. The impressive part is what a sub-$100 computer can do today in comparison to what yesterday's sub-$100 computer can do.
- meric 15y ago
  I thought the impressive part is what a sub-$100 computer can do today in comparison to what yesterday's $2000 computer can do.
  - ctdonath 15y ago
    Both contrasts are impressive. I had a $100 ZX-80 kit and a $2400 original IBM PC (inflating to $200 and $5000 today's cash). Of course, what an RPi can do in contrast to both is thrilling. The point, however, is something we're losing these days: the utter freedom to do a complete ground-up software reconfiguration on a moment's notice with zero concern for cost or disruption. How many today have a computer which they would think nothing of erasing the primary storage and trying anything on a whim - and without having spent nontrivial cash for that ability? Unlike our familiar hard-drive based systems where the main storage is huge, not cheap, and hard to swap, old 5.25" floppy-based systems had the ability to have complete OS configurations, swappable & bootable in seconds, on media costing pocket change. Sure some of us can emulate the experience to some degree, or as result of substantial costs already spent have tinkerable hardware around, but few - especially the kids the RPi is intended for - have robust systems at hand which can be messed with that fast & cheap with little thought. Let my toddlers at the home computer with no supervision? Nope (not after deleting several apps off my iPad). Give each an RPi and let 'em have at it? Oh yeah - where do I order? and can I get one in pink and one in OD green?
- unwind 15y ago
  The article describes a complete PC "system", i.e. screen+computer+keyboard+mouse+storage, for $100 based on the Raspberry Pi and cheap generic peripherals. The (adjusted) launch price of the ZX81 was £143 in kit form, which with today's exchange rate is about $219. That does not include a screen, and so on. See the difference?
GiraffeNecktie 15y ago
A tiny ultra cheap (almost throwaway) PC might also open up some interesting possibilities for scientific research. For example, for placing sensor/processor combinations in places where they are likely to be lost or destroyed.
- Florin_Andrei 15y ago
  > placing sensor/processor combinations in places where they are likely to be lost or destroyed. Well, you could already do that with microcontrollers. An AVR is pretty powerful actually, and costs a buck a pop. But of course there will be cases when an AVR would not be enough, so the Pi might be the better choice.
  - joezydeco 15y ago
    The Pi would be overkill for that type of application. You're not going to be decoding video in a disposable chip.
- adestefan 15y ago
  Usually the expense is in the actual sensor and not the chip running the thing.
- ctdonath 15y ago
  It allows easy screwing around with nontrivial system configurations without worrying about interfering with other important configurations. Say, if you want to mess about with an assortment of Linux installations, $25 gives you a platform cheap enough to have several handy to tinker with and still leave primary computer(s) in their workable state; >$250 may give you pause because you may not have very many units subjectable to misconfiguration, crashing, system wipe & reinstall, etc. I'd like to tinker with various OSes, but at present all my computers are either expensive enough they must be devoted to useful reliable purposes, or are cheap enough they're grossly underpowered to do anything interesting. The RPi is cheap enough - and easy enough to slap on any available I/O - to do frequent ground-up tinkering with.
  - 15y ago
forgotAgain 15y ago
Seems like all of the component prices were underestimated including the Raspberry PI board itself as noted in one of the comments to the original posting. Also they forgot the AC power adapter. A case would be a welcome nicety as well.
- WestCoastJustin 15y ago
  You can power the box via 5v USB (http://www.raspberrypi.org/archives/260 http://www.raspberrypi.org/archives/260). I guess, if you have a monitor that supports USB then you could power this machine and a hub. So you don't need the external power adapter.
  - forgotAgain 15y ago
    So where is the power to the 5V USB come from? There has to be an external AC/DC converter or an external battery.
    - semanticist 15y ago
      I believe their plan is to use a standard MicroUSB mobile phone charger. If your mobile phone isn't an iPhone, then you probably have one already.
- easp 15y ago
  Why does it seem that way? They seem on track to meet their target price.

25 points by ukdm 15y ago

Malic 15y ago

Funny. I thought that happened in 1981 - thirty years ago: http://oldcomputers.net/zx81.html http://oldcomputers.net/zx81.html Ok, ok, the Raspberry Pi could kick a room full of ZX81's around the block - it IS an impressive little board. My point is that the Raspberry Pi is a sub-$100 computer isn't the impressive part. The impressive part is what a sub-$100 computer can do today in comparison to what yesterday's sub-$100 computer can do.

meric 15y ago
I thought the impressive part is what a sub-$100 computer can do today in comparison to what yesterday's $2000 computer can do.
- ctdonath 15y ago
  Both contrasts are impressive. I had a $100 ZX-80 kit and a $2400 original IBM PC (inflating to $200 and $5000 today's cash). Of course, what an RPi can do in contrast to both is thrilling. The point, however, is something we're losing these days: the utter freedom to do a complete ground-up software reconfiguration on a moment's notice with zero concern for cost or disruption. How many today have a computer which they would think nothing of erasing the primary storage and trying anything on a whim - and without having spent nontrivial cash for that ability? Unlike our familiar hard-drive based systems where the main storage is huge, not cheap, and hard to swap, old 5.25" floppy-based systems had the ability to have complete OS configurations, swappable & bootable in seconds, on media costing pocket change. Sure some of us can emulate the experience to some degree, or as result of substantial costs already spent have tinkerable hardware around, but few - especially the kids the RPi is intended for - have robust systems at hand which can be messed with that fast & cheap with little thought. Let my toddlers at the home computer with no supervision? Nope (not after deleting several apps off my iPad). Give each an RPi and let 'em have at it? Oh yeah - where do I order? and can I get one in pink and one in OD green?
unwind 15y ago
The article describes a complete PC "system", i.e. screen+computer+keyboard+mouse+storage, for $100 based on the Raspberry Pi and cheap generic peripherals. The (adjusted) launch price of the ZX81 was £143 in kit form, which with today's exchange rate is about $219. That does not include a screen, and so on. See the difference?

GiraffeNecktie 15y ago

A tiny ultra cheap (almost throwaway) PC might also open up some interesting possibilities for scientific research. For example, for placing sensor/processor combinations in places where they are likely to be lost or destroyed.

Florin_Andrei 15y ago
> placing sensor/processor combinations in places where they are likely to be lost or destroyed. Well, you could already do that with microcontrollers. An AVR is pretty powerful actually, and costs a buck a pop. But of course there will be cases when an AVR would not be enough, so the Pi might be the better choice.
- joezydeco 15y ago
  The Pi would be overkill for that type of application. You're not going to be decoding video in a disposable chip.
adestefan 15y ago
Usually the expense is in the actual sensor and not the chip running the thing.
ctdonath 15y ago
It allows easy screwing around with nontrivial system configurations without worrying about interfering with other important configurations. Say, if you want to mess about with an assortment of Linux installations, $25 gives you a platform cheap enough to have several handy to tinker with and still leave primary computer(s) in their workable state; >$250 may give you pause because you may not have very many units subjectable to misconfiguration, crashing, system wipe & reinstall, etc. I'd like to tinker with various OSes, but at present all my computers are either expensive enough they must be devoted to useful reliable purposes, or are cheap enough they're grossly underpowered to do anything interesting. The RPi is cheap enough - and easy enough to slap on any available I/O - to do frequent ground-up tinkering with.
- 15y ago

forgotAgain 15y ago

Seems like all of the component prices were underestimated including the Raspberry PI board itself as noted in one of the comments to the original posting. Also they forgot the AC power adapter. A case would be a welcome nicety as well.

WestCoastJustin 15y ago
You can power the box via 5v USB (http://www.raspberrypi.org/archives/260 http://www.raspberrypi.org/archives/260). I guess, if you have a monitor that supports USB then you could power this machine and a hub. So you don't need the external power adapter.
- forgotAgain 15y ago
  So where is the power to the 5V USB come from? There has to be an external AC/DC converter or an external battery.
  - semanticist 15y ago
    I believe their plan is to use a standard MicroUSB mobile phone charger. If your mobile phone isn't an iPhone, then you probably have one already.
easp 15y ago
Why does it seem that way? They seem on track to meet their target price.